Plan approved to double peacekeeping force in South Sudan

Reuters 2013-12-24

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The U.N. Security Council approved plans on Tuesday to almost double the number of peacekeepers in South Sudan in a bid to protect civilians from violence as the discovery of a mass grave fueled fears of ethnic bloodletting in the world's newest state.

The 15-member council unanimously authorized a plan by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's to boost the strength of the force in South Sudan to 12,500 troops and 1,323 police, as some 45,000 civilians seek protection at U.N. bases.

Violence erupted in the capital Juba on Dec. 15 and quickly spread, dividing the land-locked country along ethnic lines of Nuer and Dinka.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 under a peace agreement to end decades of war in what was Africa's biggest state.

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